


In the Dust

by CosmicFluff



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: But it Doesn’t Go Silent Hill, Catra POV, EVERYTHING GOES WRONG, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Nightmares, She’s Kind of an Insomniac, Spoilers for Season 4, Villain Regret
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 20:15:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22003843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicFluff/pseuds/CosmicFluff
Summary: Catra is plagued by night terrors. Her lost friendships and constant failures haunt her every sleeping moment. So she stays awake. The only thing Catra has is her drive to destroy Etheria, to destroy herself. But unfortunately for her, she just can’t stay away from shiny things.
Kudos: 6





	1. Dandelion

**Author's Note:**

> *Spoilers for all of SPOP!*  
> Hiya there, thanks so much for checking my story out. While I write often, this will be my first fanfic. We’re going to start off with 1,000 or so words per chapter. I’m not sure how long story will be, but I’m expecting to reach 40,000 words. I’ll start an update schedule as I gain readers!

_The sky was overcast, which was nothing strange in the Fright Zone. Adora and I had snuck outside again. This time she was leading me to some kind of surprise. We ran hand-in-hand, dodging the metal pipes and wires that littered the ground._

_“And just where are we going?” I half whispered half yelled as Adora continued to drag me behind her. I acted annoyed, but I was having a lot of fun. There was nothing better than stealth missions that involved breaking the rules._

_“Wait until you see it! It’s so beautiful.” She pulled me around a corner and finally slowed to a walk. The area was a small clearing. Considering how tiny we were, it would make a good hideout. The left side was concealed by the wall of a building, and the rest of the clearing was surrounded by metal scrap. Had Adora cleared it herself? I couldn’t be sure. Before I could get a better look, my eyes were covered and I was tackled to the ground._

_“No peeking Catra!” Adora shrieked, trying to put me in a headlock. I flailed my arms uselessly, she had caught me off guard._

_“Watch the tail, ouch!”_

_“Oops, sorry.” She dropped me and stepped off of my tail, I landed with an_ oomph _sound. This time I covered my eyes myself to avoid any further tail abuse. I heard her walk to the middle of the clearing and move something._

_“It’s okay for you to look now,” Adora said, grabbing my hand and leading me over. What I saw was a patch of grass. Genuine, green, grass! We rarely saw that stuff. There was something growing out of it that I had never seen before. It was distinct from the typical reds, browns, and muddy greens of our home. It had a vibrant green tube with leaves sprouting off of it. At the top was a bright yellow-something. The delicate ruffles on it looked soft, I was tempted to pluck one. My eyes widened with wonder. “What is it?”_

_“I searched through a ton of books, and apparently it’s called a flower. They’re supposed to smell good too, but this one doesn’t smell like much to me.” I leaned down to sniff it, my nose touching the flower. When I lifted my head Adora burst out in laughter. “Your nose turned yellow!”_

_“It did not!” I quickly wiped my nose on my white sleeve, which turned a light yellow. Soon we were both in shambles from laughing so hard. When I caught my breath, I turned to her. “This flower really is cool. Let’s leave it here, and try to keep it alive.” Adora solemnly nodded._

_“We should shake on it. This flower is like our friendship, there’s no way it can die.” We shook hands. The determined flower always managed to grow back in that little patch of life, hidden in the heart of the Fright Zone._

————————————————————————————

I woke up with a gasp and a bitter taste in my mouth, as per usual. It’s my fault for falling asleep, usually I avoid dreaming by napping in fifteen minute intervals. I threw off the covers I don’t remember putting on, and start to get dressed for the day. I fell asleep in uniform (of course I did), so I considered just leaving it on. I change my top and figure that will be good enough. 

I check my monitor, analyzing where the horde soldiers are focused. In just a few weeks we’re going to capture Salineas. The corners of my lips turn up in anticipation. Once we have it captured I’ll finally be… be what? I ponder for a second. _Powerful._ Every step closer I get to defeating She-ra makes my rise to the top worth it. Putting my monitor away, I head out of my room. I’m greeted with the same drab blue-green walls as always. I find it comforting, but this place is lacking in decoration. 

I never realized how colorful the rest of the world was until I saw the peasant town Thaymor. They quite literally wear flowers. It’s ridiculous. All the colors are so bright, you would really think they’d get sick of it. My thoughts about the headache inducing color pallet are interrupted as I hear the _clink-clink-clink_ of someone’s footsteps. The first thing I see is Scorpia’s giant claws as she rounds the corner. 

“Wildcat! I mean Catra, good morning.” I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. 

“Scorpia, we have work to do. Follow me.” 

“Wow, it’s so early and you’re ready to go. I love how motivated you are. Would you like a cup of tea or a ration bar? I really like to have both for breakfast, I actually like to dunk my ration bar in the tea. It’s delicious. I honestly prefer the gray kind,” I thrust my hand out, the universal sign for “stop immediately.” My ears are folded back, trying to block out her voice. I fail to understand how someone could be so annoying. I take a deep breath before I ruin my whole day. 

“Alright, _Scorpia_ , like I said we are very busy today. We don’t have time for breakfast or small talk. So please come with me to the planning room, I have a game plan for a strike. We’re going to capture the small villages on the outskirts of the Whispering Woods.” She looked at the ground, clearly dejected. I found this to be a win. Silence at last! 

“Catra that is so amazing. If we capture those villages, we can slowly work our way into Bright Moon! I know how important the success of the Horde is to you…” I did my best to phase out the noise, let it blend into the background. I’ve never meant someone who talked so much. When we made it to the plan room, I explained where I wanted her soldiers to attack from. She seemingly understood. With the shapeshifter mercenary I hired, tables were clearly going to turn for the Horde. This war was going to be in our favor for the first time in years. 

  
  
  
  
  



	2. Blink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the attack on Elberon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time we're looking at things from a different POV than Catra's, but I promise the next chapter will be from hers again!

If there was anything Double Trouble loved, it was acting and drama. They were much more than just a shape-shifter, they were known for picking up the small details in other’s words and actions. They could read people like a book and act it out like a play. That being said, DT was nobody’s fool. This is why they decided to be a mercenary spy. 

Their new job under Catra was sure to be a financial win. All they needed to do was gain a few people’s trust and keep her updated. At least, that’s what they had thought. Until everything went wrong. 

_ A fucking horse just blew my cover. A  _ horse.  _ How the hell do I recoup from that? _

DT was a part of a theater group that had Etheria’s finest actors. They were a complete show stopper, naturally. They had never stopped for a moment to think Swift Wind would recognize them, let alone be She-Ra’s personal steed! DT was unfortunately well acquainted with the loud horse. Swift Wind had lobbied his heart out to join the group, and always wanted productions to be more horse inclusive. 

He kind of had a point there, not that many plays involved horses with an active role. That did not stop his acting from being one note. Naturally, DT was not about to just let that slide. So one day they pulled Swifty aside to give him their best advice.

“Swifty, darling, I can’t help but notice your acting needs a bit of er, personality.” 

“What d’you mean! I can be bold, brave, and my voice always resonates!” 

“I could hear you from a mile away, there’s a point where loud volume isn’t a good thing. Look, I want this group to be successful. And while I have more talent more than all of you combined, I may as well try and share some of it. Here’s what I advise: Be bold and glamorous! But above all, be watchful. Different roles call for different personalities. That is why I think it would do you good to be more observant of others. Watch how they express different emotions, inflect different words, and carry themselves.” He thought the advice was brilliant, and said he was inspired. 

This was DT’s biggest mistake. It all happened when they introduced themselves as Flutterina, a small girl with pink hair and fragile wings. “She” was playing the role perfectly, gushing over how amazing She-ra and her friends were. They were eating it up. Then, without thinking Double Trouble blinked. With their lizard-esque anatomy, DT has two sets of eyelids in a way. The ones on the outside are functional but not very useful. The inner set is sideways, translucent green, and works as a protective layer. Being partially reptile, they did not have to blink as much as other Etherians. Yet it was still a natural function. 

Swift Wind, true to his word, had done a lot to become more observant. He played games with himself to notice small details, and would sometimes mock his friends to practice his acting skills. So when he looked over at the right moment to catch “Flutterina’s” blink, he knew something was up. He just was not sure what. He pulled Adora to the sidelines, and dropped his voice to a whisper. “I think something is weird with that Flutterina girl. I noticed her blink, but it wasn’t with her regular eyelids.” She-Ra squinted her eyes in confusion. 

“Swift Wind that is one of the weirdest things you have ever said.” 

“I know! Hear me out. At my theater group there’s this mercenary who’s a really good actor. They’re also a shape-shifter. I swear they have the same inner-eyelids, there’s no mistaking it.” Adora thought about it for a few seconds. She had to admit, there were not many Etherians with two sets of eyelids. At the same time, this was such a small detail. Swift Wind could have imagined it. Yet he was her noble horse, a friend she had a special bond with. He also seemed shaken up, and that scared her. She decided it was something they should both look into. “Okay, we can at least be aware-” 

“It’s the Horde!” One of the Elberonians yelled, running up to She-Ra. Everyone at the party quieted. “Our scouts have reported another bot, it’s on its way now. It’s bigger than any we’ve seen before. We need to evacuate the town!” 

Swift Wind and She-Ra made eye contact. This was extremely suspicious. The timing was too perfect for the events to be unconnected. Thinking quick, She-Ra stood tall, walking to the center of the room. 

“You’re right, with everyone here an attack could be more dangerous. We need to find somewhere safe, and quickly. I want everyone to get into groups of four, so you can all keep count of one another. Bow, Swift Wind, and I will be a group. Flutterina, we’d like you to join us.” Called out in front of the whole party. “Flutterina’s” best option was to join them. Saying no to “her” hero would be uncharacteristic. DT was going to have to play their cards carefully, it would not be easy to find time to slip away. 

With She-Ra leading the group with Flutterina, and Bow and Swift Wind at the rear, they exited in an orderly (somewhat panicked) fashion. She-Ra had a tight grip on Flutterina’s hand, making it impossible for them to get out of her sight. They were about to run right into the Horde soldiers! DT was starting to feel the heat. What had happened? They had expected She-Ra, with her large ego, to leave the party and attack the bot with her little crew. That distraction was going to let the soldiers capture Elberon and it’s people. What they had not expected was that damn horse to be here.

DT tried not to sigh as She-Ra loudly gasped. “Horde soldiers! At the edges of the Whispering Woods too, this is crazy! People of Elberon, come this way.” They dashed to the left, into the woods. The Horde soldiers were several hundred yards in front of them. Due to the Elberonian’s closeness to the woods, it favored them. Dark branches twisted in such a way that they were safe from view. 

Bow and Swift Wind walked to meet up with She-Ra. Swift Wind had caught Bow up on the realization between them. He was shocked considering how adorable Flutterina was, but he trusted his friend. 

“Do you think I should use one of my net arrows so she, I mean they, can’t get away?”

“I’m not sure, we should definitely ask She-Ra first.” They made their way up to her, and asked what the best course of action was. She had a determined but guilty look in her eyes. 

“Guys, I think it’s time we get in contact with Glimmer. We can’t do this alone.”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has already started reading and given kudos! I hope you enjoy. Feel free to leave your thoughts, criticisms, and opinions in the comments. <3

**Author's Note:**

> I’m always open to constructive criticism. Feel free to leave a comment <3


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